“The Arctic ice extent is showing a remarkable recovery
from the great oscillations of 2012,” says F. Guimaraes. “Compare with the
previous years listed there, you’ll see that 2004 is the year that is
closest to 2013 in terms of average temps during the summer.”

You can compare by looking at the Archives (Arkiv) HERE (on the left of the page).

Calculation of the Arctic Mean Temperature

The daily mean temperature of the Arctic area north of the 80th northern
parallel is estimated from the average of the 00z and 12z analysis for all model grid points inside that area.
The ERA40 reanalysis
data set from ECMWF, has been applied to calculate daily
mean temperatures for the period from 1958 to 2002, from 2002 to 2006 data from the global NWP model T511
is used and from 2006 to 2010 T799 data are used and from 2010 to present the T1279 model data are used.

The ERA40 reanalysis data, has been applied to calculation of daily climate values that are plotted along
with the daily analysis values in all plots. The data used to determine climate values is the full ERA40 data set,
from 1958 to 2002.

August 04, 2013 - UNITED STATES - Residents in western Kansas are being warned to watch their step after a gigantic sinkhole opened up overnight this week in the area, swallowing an entire pasture.

Freak sinkhole: This massive chasm opened up seemingly overnight near Sharon Springs in western Kansas.

In a shocking development that has left many in the area scratching
their heads, the Wallace County Sheriff's officials say the enormous
90-feet-deep chasm measuring 200 across feet has since continued
spreading, gobbling up more land.

The freak sinkhole
has left many people in the rural area on edge while drawing others to
gape at the odd phenomenon north of Sharon Springs.

Growing: Cracks surrounding the sinkhole suggest that it is expanding.

Ravenous: The gigantic hole swallowed Dalton Hoss' large pasture.

A few days ago, Dalton Hoss first noticed cracks in the ground on his
property. A short time later, his meadow was gone, replaced by a
gigantic pit in the ground.

‘Actually, my brother found
it. He called me up and his voice was quaking and he said, “You'll
never believe what I just saw,"’ Hoss told the station KWCH.

Sheriff
Larry Townsend said the void is surrounded by cracks, suggesting that
it is getting bigger, and at this time, there is no telling when it will
stop expanding.

‘Man had nothing to do with this.
This is a God thing,’ the sheriff stated. ‘ There's no oil well around
here, there are no irrigation wells anywhere near. This is something
that just happened.’

It remains unknown what caused the
ground to open up in the first place, or how to prevent the sinkhole
from swallowing more land. Experts are set to visit the site in the
coming days to examine the ground.

Mystery: No one knows what caused the ground to open up or when the sinkhole is going to stop expanding.

Act of God? There are no oil wells or irrigation wells in the area that could have caused the sinkhole to open up.

Local attraction: Visitors have been flocking to the area to take a peek at the awe-inspiring pit.

No injuries have been reported in connection to the sinkhole so far,
but concerns have been raised that people who have been flocking to the
site to catch a glimpse of the awe-inspiring tourist attraction may be
putting themselves in harm's way.

Hoss is attempting to prevent curious visitors from approaching the yawning chasm on his land for their safety.

There
have been several incidents in recent months involving larger-than-life
sinkholes. In July, a chasm in Toledo, Ohio, swallowed a woman's car as
she was driving. Luckily, she was able to escape the vehicle alive.

Professional help: Experts are set to visit the site in the coming days to examine chasm.

Safety concerns: The owner of the land is attempting to prevent curious visitors from approaching the pit for fear that they might get hurt.

In May, a New Jersey man was killed when the ground opened up beneath the warehouse where he worked.

Earlier this year, a Florida resident perished under similar circumstances when a giant chasm swallowed his home while he was sleeping inside. - Daily Mail.

August 04, 2013 - JAPAN - A strong undersea earthquake has hit the same northeastern region of
Japan that was devastated by a deadly 2011 tsunami. No damage or
injuries have been reported in the affected area, including the
Fukushima prefecture.

USGS earthquake location.

The 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Miyagi
prefecture on Sunday. The epicenter was 50 kilometers below the
seabed. No tsunami warning was issued by the Japan
Meteorological Agency.

Some roads and railways were, however, temporarily closed for
safety checks, according to NHK TV broadcaster, cited by AP.

USGS earthquake shakemap intensity.

The quake struck at approximately the same location where a 9.0
magnitude earthquake hit in March 2011, triggering a
massive tsunami which led to multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima
nuclear plant. Over 15,000 people died as a result of the
natural disaster and more than 3,200 went missing.

The Fukushima reactors were not impacted by the tremors on
Sunday, according to Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), which runs
the facility. Another nuclear power plant in the
earthquake-hit area, the Onagawa facility in Miyagi prefecture,
has also reported no damages.

An aerial view shows the No.3 reactor building at Tokyo Electric Power
Co. (TEPCO)'s tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in
Fukushima Prefecture, in this photo taken by Kyodo July 18, 2013.
(Reuters/Kyodo)

Following the meltdowns of two and a half years ago, crews at the
Fukushima nuclear plant have been struggling hard to clear up the
damage done by the natural disaster. TEPCO has recently acknowledged that one of the problems it cannot
solve is that crippled reactors continue to leak highly
contaminated radioactive waters into the Pacific Ocean. The
process of decommissioning the reactors is likely to take several
decades, and according to recent estimates, it is going to cost
Japan up to $58 billion. - RT.

Tectonic Summary - Seismotectonics of Japan and Vicinity.

Japan and the surrounding islands straddle four major tectonic plates: Pacific plate; North America plate; Eurasia plate; and Philippine Sea plate. The Pacific plate is subducted into the mantle, beneath Hokkaido and northern Honshu, along the eastern margin of the Okhotsk microplate, a proposed subdivision of the North America plate. Farther south, the Pacific plate is subducted beneath volcanic islands along the eastern margin of the Philippine Sea plate. This 2,200 km-long zone of subduction of the Pacific plate is responsible for the creation of the deep offshore Ogasawara and Japan trenches as well as parallel chains of islands and volcanoes, typical of Circumpacific island arcs. Similarly, the Philippine Sea plate is itself subducting under the Eurasia plate along a zone, extending from Taiwan to southern Honshu that comprises the Ryukyu Islands and the Nansei-Shoto trench.

USGS plate tectonics for the region.

Subduction zones at the Japanese island arcs are geologically complex and produce numerous earthquakes from multiple sources. Deformation of the overriding plates generates shallow crustal earthquakes, whereas slip at the interface of the plates generates interplate earthquakes that extend from near the base of the trench to depths of 40 to 60 km. At greater depths, Japanese arc earthquakes occur within the subducting Pacific and Philippine Sea plates and can reach depths of nearly 700 km. Since 1900, three great earthquakes occurred off Japan and three north of Hokkaido. They are the M8.4 1933 Sanriku-oki earthquake, the M8.3 2003 Tokachi-oki earthquake, the M9.0 2011 Tohoku earthquake, the M8.4 1958 Etorofu earthquake, the M8.5 1963 Kuril earthquake, and the M8.3 1994 Shikotan earthquake. - USGS.

August 04, 2013 - EUROPE - Here are two of the latest incidents of mass fish die-offs across Europe:

Mass Fish Die-Off In A Lagoon In Santa Giusta, Italy.

New environmental alarm Santa Giusta pond. Yesterday morning the cooperative fishermen have identified a new and troubling morìa of fish.The phenomenon is now concentrated only within the Pesaria channel. On the surface of the pond and along the reeds are visible the first species killed perhaps from the usual lack of oxygen. In particular he died of juvenile fish, sea bass, eels and even the first mullet.The alarm was launched yesterday morning from the fishermen's cooperative in granting the pond and fish pond. The first signs of morìa had been noted a few days but in the evening of Tuesday the problem is accentuated. "The
situation worries but for now is not as bad as in the past, explained
the Mayor of Santa Giusta Fin – Angel, moria has affected several tons
of fish within the channel and in the Winter Palace. We have not lost temper invaluable and we proceeded to inform all competent authorities, the Asl the Arpas and forestry '.

WATCH: Mass fish die-off in Santa Giusta.

In
the late morning at Santa Giusta came also professor Cao of the
University of Cagliari, who met the President of the cooperative Tonino
Muroni and other fishermen to take stock of the State of the environment
and to give suggestions in order to limit the damage. In the evening, the networks have been set up to prevent the mass of rotting fish in the sea.The causes may be the usual, the lack of oxygen. On the spot they arrived the Asl and Arpas, have made withdrawals of water samples of dead fish. The situation is still under control and will be monitored constantly. - Lanuovasardegna. [Translated]

Thousands Of Dead Fish Found Floating In The River Spree In Berlin, Germany.

Dead fish floating in Spandau Canal on the water surface.

After the storms earlier this week there have been several places in Berlin to a fish kill.
Especially in Spandau Canal between West and North Port, but also
between the Spree and Gotzkowskybrücke Cross and the Teltow Canal
(Bäkebrücke) drove a total of thousands of lifeless fish in the water."This is due to the heavy rain on Monday and the overflow of the
combined sewer system," said the biologist Jens Puchmüller from the
Fisheries Department on Thursday. Rain and canal water flows untreated from the crowded sump into the Spree. The nutrients are broken down by microorganisms carried along - but then lacked the needed oxygen to the fish. - BZ. [Translated]

Massive Die-Off Of Oysters Due To "Unknown Disease" Along The Coast Of France.

Oyster production in Corsica. Experts are at a loss to explain the causes of the recent illness in French oystersPhoto: ALAMY

For the past month, oyster farmers have watched powerless as their shellfish
have died in droves with experts at a loss to explain the causes. "In some areas, 50 to 80 per cent of saleable oysters aged between two to
three years have died out," said Olivier Laban, president of the
shellfish producers' federation of Arcachon-Aquitaine, western France. "We have no idea what the origin of this blight is," he told Le
Figaro.

Tests are under way at Ifremer, France's marine research institute, with
samples taken from oysters along the West coast and the Mediterranean "All the samples show mortality rates that are higher than normal,"
said Tristan Renault, mollusc specialist at Ifremer.

"All contain a deadly bacteria (for oysters): Vibro aesturianus. That's
probably the murder weapon, but we still don't know who the murderer is. The
unusual weather conditions this year are probably behind the phenomenon,"
he said. Some oyster farmers blame brutal temperature rises after a "rubbish"
Spring and a sudden drop in salt levels in the water due to heavy rains.

They say adult oysters are increasingly fragile.

The profession is still recovering from a plague that has wiped out billions
of baby oysters since it first struck in the Spring of 2008. The culprit was
fond to be Oyster Herpes virus type 1, or OsHV-1. It triggered the worst crisis since the native European or "Portuguese"
oyster was all but wiped out 30 years ago. Since the 1970s blight, almost
all oyster farms in Europe have been restocked with the Pacific "creuse"
oyster from Japan and British Columbia.

In the wake of the 2008 virus, annual production has fallen from 120,000
tonnes to 80,000 tonnes. "Oyster farmers have tried to adapt, but this (latest attack) is a
different story," said Laurent Champeau, shellfish producers' spokesman
in the Poitou-Charentes region. "These losses that are coming at the end of (the oyster life) cycle are
much harder to mitigate. It means three years of work down the drain and
almost inexistent room for manoeuvre." - Telegraph.

August 04, 2013 - CHINA - Here are a two of the latest incidents of mass fish die-offs in China:

Hundreds Of Thousands Of Fish Found Floating Dead In A Lake In Guizhou.

Apart the lush corn leaves, along a muddy farm road ahead. Hongfeng Lake shore at a distance of less than one hundred meters upstream where stench assailed my nostrils. "The taste is dead issue." Poke corn stalks villagers Zheng brother said pointing to the lake. Refers to the direction along the Big Brother Cheng look at the past, hundreds of thousands of dead fish floating on the lake, the stench no match. Reporters learned that the July 25 date, Qingzhen City, a small group of Hongfeng Zaojiaoshu Kawamura upstream lake, a large number of dead fish every day. The lake next to a factory sewage pipes, occasionally out of yellow sewage into the lake. Site: Hongfeng a large number of dead fish Cheng Big Brother house through cornfields behind the house, the reporter went to find dead fish Lake District. Approximately 300 meters of this water, everywhere has swollen, smelly dead fish. As the afternoon comes, dead fish smell emitted into the nose very. Reporters rough estimate, there are hundreds of fish - can distinguish.

While Zheng brother said, two days before had been salvaged, and now these are the last two days before appearing. 40-year-old Zheng Big Brother is a small village Zaojiaoshu Qingzhen City, two groups of villagers. From the beginning grandparents, Zheng brother a Hongfeng Lake behind the house on the dependent life. "Not only is our family, which number more than a thousand Gleditsia group of villagers, are used to drink this water." At 7:00 on July 26 too, loves fishing Zheng brother out the door as usual, you can go to a place after a few tens of meters from the lake and smell a stench. "Dead fish everywhere on the lake, and more fundamentally untold." Big Brother Cheng said, when the lake white one, large and small layers of dead fish floating on the shore, the pungent stench of rotting fish from body to float. "Sewage pipe near mingled with dead fish and oil." Scene in front of Big Brother Cheng Dai Li for a long time, then he realized that the emergence of a large number of dead fish, and the lake is likely to be pollution. So he dialed the hotline 12319 environmental Guiyang. Cause of death: Rising temperatures cause fish die? July 27, Qingzhen City Environmental Protection Bureau sent staff came to the scene to view the site conditions and effluent sampling and testing carried out. "They say the hot weather caused." Zheng brother said, EPA staff situation in view of the lake, said after days of high temperature water as hypoxia, a lot of fish vitality is weak, there came a collective death. "Is a normal phenomenon, does not exist in the case of water contamination."

For this argument, the residents living in the vicinity unacceptable. They lived here for generations, also appeared before the phenomenon of sustained high temperatures, but the death phenomenon and not so serious. Moreover, in addition to the vitality of the death of the weaker fish catfish, there are in the shallow water areas of the toughest fish. In this regard, Zheng brother along the lakeshore to explore together. He found the dead fish are mainly concentrated in the waters near their homes, and other places did not see a similar situation. Place in the event of dead fish, the water there is oil, there is a an indescribable odor. This makes the hearts of more and more disturbed brother Cheng, this began last week, he continuous to the Guiyang Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, Qingzhen City Environmental Protection Bureau, Guiyang lakes reflect a Library Administration and other departments, hoping to thoroughly investigate the cause of dead fish. Wonder: Caused by sewage plant "We feel very likely with the surrounding a ferroalloy plant related." Zheng brother said, he found a factory near the lake there is a drain, occasionally discharge of sewage into the lake. Zheng led by Big Brother, the reporter in the lake on the left edge of a red brick wall, saw the drain. At this point drain did not drain, it can be concluded that the mark through the wall, Recently the drain had been conducted emissions. "I think the sewage polluted lake." Big Brother Cheng said the outfall called from within the walls of an Innovative Industrial Co., Ltd. Guizhou ferroalloy production plant. "Every few days, which will drain drainage.

Discharged some yellow color of the water, and accompanied by an oil spill, with the appearance of dead fish on the lake are very similar." It is understood that the ferroalloy plant formerly known as Guizhou ferroalloy plant, have been here for decades, has gone bankrupt years ago because the effectiveness of this year, re-production. This is the time of dead fish appeared very consistent. Factory: That is rainwater outlet 15:00 yesterday, the reporter found Guizhou Industrial Co., Ltd. Environmental Innovation Division is responsible for hair forever. Raised by the villagers plant sewage water caused massive death of fish saying, Mao Yong said their companies have improved pollution control measures, a variety of indicators have reached the national standard. "The villagers had said plant sewage pipes, in fact, is our rainwater discharge pipe, not the production of sewage discharged." Mao Yong said the factory is definitely not water discharged water will not cause massive death of fish the lake. As for the oil appeared on the lake, Mao Yong explained that he was not clear how the oil is coming. Probably in a few months ago, a car overturned in the factory, followed by a large number of oil spill situation, they had already been to the relevant departments to reflect the situation. Later, Mao Yong also suggested that he was in a small village near the gas station and saw the yellow water flows into the lake. Environmental Protection Department: Publish the findings within two weeks Yesterday afternoon, the reporter received reflect upon Guiyang lakes a library deputy director Wang Bo led law enforcement officers immediately rushed to the scene to investigate the enterprise. "We came to the scene last Wednesday sampling." Bo said, when he led law enforcement officers arrived lakes a library saponins Shue respective Regional checked, they found a small amount of fish in the case of death. "This is a unannounced visits."

Bo said, they were found at the scene, honey locust tree near the village of Guizhou ferroalloy plant has two drain directly at Hongfeng Lake upstream region, but the two did no drainage outlet, they sampling of the two drain some of the substances, back to investigate. "There are three indicators released, these three indicators are in line with requirements." Order two lakes a library law enforcement officers did not expect is that the unannounced visits to the end of the two days later, they received a report Gleditsia Shue villagers, said the number of dead fish appeared in the lake. Subsequently, the law enforcement officers to check the scene again. Law enforcement officers saw outfall drainage immediately after they tested samples. "This could be considered an unannounced visits." Bo said, they did not notify the person in charge of the case of the factory to obtain water samples. However, the responsible person rushed to the scene, but it does not want to sign in the water sampling. He said this was when he did not arrive at the scene drawn, therefore, not operands. To ensure fairness, Guiyang lakes a library Authority law enforcement officers in front of the factory once again face the person in charge, water samples taken, then there is, and reporters came to visit inside the factory. In the factory, the reporter learned that previously had four boilers work, currently only one at work. A worker in the factory, led by reporter saw this outfall, "Our industrial water not discharged to the lake to go inside."

Subsequently, Bo led law enforcement officers found the factory two outfalls. After inspection, they found two outfalls really no emissions of industrial water to the lake, just discharged from the rain. However, Bo said that they will still detect these samples brought back, if you find a superscalar project, the same plant would be punished, the survey results will be released in two weeks. Follow-up: Why is a large area of ​​dead fish? "We are also the cause of death to guess the fish." Bo said. A large area of ​​dead fish incident occur, they immediately contacted the Department of Fisheries Guizhou University professor to investigate. In the sample of dead fish samples and found that all the fish are dead carp. At the same time, also found in the lakes also appeared in other fish, not all of the fish have suffered death. "Fish and weather-related deaths may." Said the professor of Guiyang in recent days there has been cold and hot weather, this weather is extremely likely to cause death of fish hypoxia. However, this reason is just a guess. The professor said that does not rule out the enterprise due to illegal discharges. Will not affect the drinking water source? Hongfeng Lake in Guiyang City, the source of drinking water, the fish will affect the collective deaths Hongfeng Lake water quality? In this regard, Wang Bo explained, in fact, this piece of fish mass death Hongfeng Lake and the interval of a dam, the water only when the Hongfeng Lake rose to a certain extent when the two lakes will be mixed with water .

Yesterday afternoon, the reporter came to the dam, the dam is presented across two very different scenarios. In the end the death of the fish, you can clearly see, the water is showing green tea with sewage quality. While the other end, which is the source of drinking water Guiyang show is green, very bright and clean. "Unless the next heavy rain, two lakes water to mix." Bo told reporters, pointing across the dam, and hence does not affect the Hongfeng Lake water quality. Sewerage companies have standards? In Hongfeng Lake in Guizhou ferroalloy plant next to the sewage facilities whether it is a standard? "He still has some irregularities." After checking, lakes a library Authority law enforcement officers said, "They should not have contingency pool is filled with water, but now fitted with water." Meanwhile, the staff also told reporters that the emergency pool area is too small, can not put on too much water. In addition, many factory production materials placed directly on the ground, these production materials directly eroded by rain, and then routed through stormwater outfall lake. "There are many places to rectification." Bo said they will urge the rectification of the factory as soon as possible, while also on the plant's sewage facilities for acceptance. - Shuichan. [Translated]

Tens Of Thousands Of Dead Fish Found In A Pond In Qingyuan.

Recently, the reporter received a tip lines, said Pioneer Road and Shuguang Road, is located at the junction of the East Gate hordes of dead fish floating above the pond, the stench from time to time, the surrounding residents and tourists have a negative impact, I hope the relevant personnel in a timely manner clean up these dead fish, but also passers-by a comfortable environment. Reporter heard the news rushed to the scene from afar, across the edge of the East Gate pond water were little glowing white light. Closer inspection, a large number of floating on the East Gate of the pond, it is already dead tilapia, these fish probably palm, some waving white belly. Affected by dead fish, floating on the pond floor Gate yellowish oil, not when bubbles emerge. Breeze out of the stench will be filled to around passers partly out of curiosity, could not stop watching, but most of the passers-by or conceal odor, their noses and brisk walking.

An anonymous passers introduced, these dead fish are only appeared two days, is said to be the masters of ponds do not want to raise tilapia, so its own poison, but some passers-by this argument to be negative, that fish are being deliberately poisoned. "Although tilapia expensive, but so many fish, if to get the market to sell, but also a substantial amount of revenue, the owner can not be looked at the money they do not." This band is the administrative and cultural center of Qingyuan city, surrounded by shopping malls, cinemas, parks, hotels, etc., every day after passers flocked so smelly Who can?" For the cause of a large area of ​​dead fish have different opinions, but the road per capita expressed the same wish: I hope the staff can give this attention, timely salvage these dead fish, but also the surrounding residents and visitors a comfortable environment. - Shuichan. [Translated]

August 04, 2013 - WORLDWIDE VOLCANOES - The following constitutes the new activity, unrest and ongoing reports of volcanoes across the globe.

Shiveluch (Kamchatka):
An explosion and/or dome collapse event occurred last night at 19:36
UTC, with a likely ash plume rising to possibly up to 20,000 ft
(estimated from seismic signals).

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan):
The volcano seems to have become less active during the past days,
following its own rhythm of alternating phases of weak and strong
activity, each lasting from days to weeks typically.

Suddenly, the volcano explodes with a very loud detonation and ejects a
mass of lava, rocks and a quickly rising ash plume (21 July 11:02 UTC).
(Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)

After a still
very productive 31 July, the rate of explosions has gone down to 0-2 per
day during the past days. Also, average sizes of explosions have been
weaker recently, compared to mid July.

Veniaminof (Alaska Peninsula, USA):
The eruption has been decreasing during the past days, and looks as if
it could soon end. Seismic activity has decreased as well, but still
indicates that some activity continues to take place.

"Elevated
surface temperatures were observed during clear periods over the past
week, and indicate the continued eruption of lava. Minor ash and steam
emissions up to 3.6 km (12,000 ft) above sea level and extending for 20
km (12.4 miles) were reported by pilots and observed in satellite data
from July 27-29. Clouds have mostly obscured views of the volcano since
then." (AVO)

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico):
Activity has been more or less stable at relatively low levels. During
1-2 Aug, the rate of emissions climbed to about 3 per hour, and some
tremor episodes were recorded as well as at least one (non observed)
explosion event.

VAAC Washington reported short but strong ash
emissions rising to 28,000 ft (5.5 km) altitude, i.e. not much above the
summit elevation of the volcano, at 11:36 and 14:34 UTC yesterday.

Tungurahua (Ecuador):
The trend of increasing activity has continued over the past days. The
volcano has been producing nearly constant steam and ash emissions to a
maximum height of 2 km height, as well as discrete strombolian to
vulcanian-type explosions accompanied by atmospheric shock waves and
ground vibration.

Current seismic signal from Tungurahua (RETU station, IGPEN).

Ash fall has affected numerous inhabited and
cultivated areas near the volcano. Heavy rains have been causing
trouble, too, because a series of mud flows were generated, especially
inside the ravines of the western flank... [read more]

August 04, 2013 - UNITED STATES - Lurking beneath Yellowstone National Park is a massive underground reservoir of magma, capped by the park's famous caldera.
640,000 years ago, a super eruption rocked the region. What would
happen if another such event blasted the park today? We asked USGS geologist Jake Lowenstern, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

Most volcanic activity in Yellowstone would not qualify as "super eruptions," in which 1,000 km3 or more material is ejected from a volcano. Lowenstern told io9 that supervolcanoes
are "very large, single eruptions" that usually last for about a week.
But, unlike what you'll see in certain television specials and Hollywood
films, even a super eruption at Yellowstone wouldn't endanger the whole
United States. It also wouldn't cause the kind catastrophe you might
expect.

Damage from the Super Eruption

A super eruption might come fast and the Yellowstone magma source is enormous.
But don't expect walls of lava pouring across the continent. Lava flows
would be likely be "within the vicinity of the park," Lowenstern said,
limited to a 30-40 mile radius. When a volcano erupts, he added, at
least a third of the liquid rock that's ejected falls right back into
the volcano's maw. The rest lands nearby, or goes up into the
atmosphere.

Most of the real damage comes from ejecta that's airborne. But it's not
fiery death from above. Instead, most damage would come from "cold ash"
and pumice borne on the wind. Lowenstern and his colleagues consider it
"disastrous" when enough ash rains down that it creates a layer of 10 or
more centimeters on the ground — and that would happen in a radius of
about 500 miles or so. This ash might reach so far that you'd see a fine
dusting of it on your car in New York.

Air traffic would be grounded, of course, as we saw after the 2010 eruption in Iceland.
But mostly this ash would pollute farms in the midwest, as well as the
Mississippi River. In a sense, it would be like an industrial accident,
clogging waterways and agricultural areas with toxic sludge. The worst
outcome of this event would be the destruction of our food supplies and
waterways.

What would it look like?

A super
eruption, like all volcanic eruptions, begins with an earthquake. "A lot
of earthquakes have to occur to break the rocks and allow magma to get
to the surface," Lowenstern said, adding that we'd need some big ones in
the weeks or months leading up to the eruption. That means there would
be many warning signs before it happened — this eruption wouldn't come
out of nowhere.

Next,
enormous vents or fissures in the Earth would break open near the
caldera, perhaps in a ring around it or maybe as far as 10 kilometers
away. Lava and superheated gasses would shoot out of these vents very
rapidly, draining the magma reservoir beneath the caldera. As the the
magma quickly drained, the caldera would begin to crumble. Eventually,
it would collapse in an oval-shaped sinkhole that might be roughly 50
miles long by 30 miles wide.

Yellowstone hotspot upper mantle magma and heat source.

After the
vents released their gasses and the ground collapsed, it's likely that
we'd see a global effect on temperatures. "Any big eruption causes a
cooling of the atmoshpere, especially especially with that much ash,"
said Lowenstern. In 1812, the Mount Tambora
super volcano eruption in Indonesia lowered global temperatures. A
caldera-forming eruption in Yellowstone would be bigger than the one in
Tambora, so climate change would almost certainly follow. The cooling,
however, would only last for a few years.

Lowenstern
said there's no reason to expect that we'll have an eruption of this
size any time soon, especially because the caldera has gone through many
regular eruptions that release pressure. "It may be done, or it may
move on to another area," he said. "In a couple million years, [the
volcano] might start in the northeast." As continental plates shift, so
too do volcanoes — so the Yellowstone supervolcano might not go off
until it's far beyond the area we call Yellowstone today. "A more likely
eruption is going to be a lava flow, a small event," Lowenstern said.

Are there signs of an impending eruption?

Currently,
the Yellowstone caldera shows no signs of preparing for a super
eruption. That doesn't mean that there aren't regular earthquakes in the
area — that's just a natural part of being in a volcanic region. And
the caldera itself rises and falls all the time, the ground moving up
and down as pressure increases and decreases in the magma reservoir
below. "It rose about 27 centimeters max over the past 6 years,"
Lowenstern said. "Calderas are big and hot, so they don't break very
easily and they just move up and down. It's the way heat and gas get out
of these deep systems — the system breathes."

He added
that if a super eruption were coming, "you'd need extraordinary
activity," something that went way beyond centimeters of movement and a
few small quakes. Right now, the Yellowstone caldera is breathing
normally, exhibiting behaviors typical of any massive hydrothermal
system. Lowenstern and the team of scientists at the Yellowstone Volcano
Observatory are constantly studying the caldera, looking for changes
and working on projections of what the next eruption might be like.

An eruption
could "come at any time," Lowenstern admitted. But would it be a super
eruption? Probably not. And even if it were, the damage wouldn't be the
inferno you might be expecting. Instead of fleeing from hell on Earth,
you'd just be slogging through lots and lots of ash cleanup. - iO9.

August 04, 2013 - CANADA - City crews will begin cleaning up the hundreds of dead fish that are floating along the shores of High Park’s Grenadier Pond on Saturday in a phenomenon conservation officials call a die-off.

“Small die-offs are not uncommon, but this seems to be bigger than usual,” according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Die-offs can occur in hot or stormy weather, from temperature shifts in the water or a change in oxygen levels, a spokesperson says.

WATCH: City to remove hundreds of dead fish in High Park pond.

But there is no immediate explanation for the deaths of the blue gill sunfish in Grenadier Pond this week.

Three city staff will begin removing the dead fish from the water early Saturday morning using skimmers.

David Chapman, parks supervisor for the York Etobicoke District, said the workers won’t be venturing into the water and will return in the coming days to see if more fish have surfaced.

Fish sent for testing

The fish are visible all along the edge of the water, and there is a strong smell coming from the pond. Four fish have been sent to the University of Guelph to uncover the cause of the mass death.

Water samples were also taken to check for contaminants in the water. Test results will come back in several weeks.

Until then, it’s up to the city to clean up the dead fish. The ministry says both humans and pets are asked to avoid eating any dead or dying fish. - CBC.

August 04, 2013 - BRAZIL - Last week's frosts in southern Brazil damaged nearly a fifth of the
unharvested cane crop in the principal growing region, an event likely
to cut sugar exports from the world's largest producer, agriculture
research company Datagro said Wednesday.

Severe early morning frosts on July 24 and 25 in three of Brazil's top
sugar-cane states devastated large areas, Datagro President Plinio
Nastari told Reuters. The cold blight comes at the peak the crushing
season when more than half of Brazil's expected record 590-million-tonne
crop remains unharvested.

Although Nastari was unable to say how much mill-output will drop or
reduce a global sugar glut that has pushed prices to three-year lows, he
said 65 million metric tons, or 18 percent of the cane standing uncut
in fields was damaged by the frost.

Frost in tropical Brazil has long been a weather risk for global coffee
markets. This frost, though, is the first in recent history that
threatens to significantly cut sugar output and it's impact will likely
extend into the next harvest too.

"We don't know how much of the affected ... cane has
been lost yet; we should know in about a week," Nastari said by
telephone. "In some cases the ratoons (young shoots) were hit and will
need to be replanted, so the impact will carry over into next year's
crop."

New York ICE front month sugar futures recovered from an early morning low of 16.68 cents/lb soon after Reuters reported
news of the potential frost damage. Prices later pierced the 17-cent
threshold for the first time in a month to settle nearly flat with
Tuesday at 16.92.

Alphaville, Brazil-based Nastari, one of Brazil's most respected sugar
experts, has a PhD in agricultural economics from Iowa State University
and hosts widely attended sugar and ethanol conferences in Brazil and
abroad.

Saving the crop will depend on speed, Nastari said, as some fields,
where frost has killed the core, or gem, of the cane plants, will likely
rot before they can be harvested.

"The most serious damage from the two days of frost occurred over 70 to
80 percent of the cane still standing in the states of Parana and Mato
Grosso do Sul," Nastari said. "A cane plant's gem is its center of
growth. When the frost kills the top gem of a cane plant, it stops
growing and begins to die."

He added that 15 million to 16 million metric tons in Brazil's
fourth-largest cane state Parana and 16 million to 18 million metric
tons in Mato Grosso do Sul, the fifth-largest cane producer, were
seriously affected.

Before the frost hit, the government's crop supply agency, Conab,
expected the two states to produce nearly 90 million metric tons of cane
this harvest. The center-south cane crush, which accounts for nearly 90
percent of Brazil's sugar and ethanol output, is roughly 40 percent
complete.

Nastari said an additional 30 million metric tons of cane in the
Paranapanema Valley in Sao Paulo, Brazil's top-producing cane state, had
been affected, but to a lesser degree. Only lower slopes were hit by
frost he said.

According to data published by Brazil's cane industry association Unica
on July 24, the main center-south cane region in question has harvested
223 million metric tons of an expected 590 million metric ton crop.
Market estimates for center-south output average about 585 million
metric tons and are being revised lower.

Nastari said that mills will be able to crush some of the cane that
frost killed, but the frost-damage was extensive in Parana and Mato
Grosso, and on some Paranapanema Valley farms.

"It will be too much for mills to reach before the cane begins to rot,"
said Nastari. "Their costs will also rise now because they will try to
harvest on many fronts to try to reach the affected cane. This will
require a lot of moving around of equipment, which is expensive."

Nastari said the cold that dropped to zero Celsius (32
Fahrenheit) and below for at least two days last week, combined with
rain, has also reversed the normal composition of sugars in the cane.
This will cause mills to favor ethanol production even more than they
already have.

Mills use just less than half of the cane crop to produce sugar and
slightly more than half to make ethanol for the local flex-fuel car
fleet and to blend into gasoline.

"Now we have more glucose and fructose and less sucrose in the cane, so
mills will push for ethanol production over sugar because they will have
a hard time getting crystallization," he added. - News Daily.

The electricity company ERDF says around 120 of its repair staff are working to restore all power by Saturday evening.

The hailstorm caused roof damage to two retirement homes.

Météo-France said storm cells dumped between 30 and 50 millimetres of rain on the country’s south-west. It had issued storm warnings on Friday to 33 departments stretching from the south-west to the north-east coast. - RFI.

One week ago,...

As severe summer storms swept through France this
weekend, over 100,000 people are left without electricity. Heavy winds
blew down a pavilion in one town and 30 people were injured.

France was hit with severe weather this weekend
as a summer storm arrived on Friday night and left "at least 135,000
homes" without power, according to France 24.
Friday night's stormy weather continued into Saturday morning.

In the town of Joinville, located in the northeastern Haute-Marne region, 30 people were injured
after a large pavilion was blown over into a crowd of 300-400 people.

At least six of the injured are reported to be in serious condition.
According to France 24, the country's national weather service is
issuing warnings of additional alerts through Sunday into Monday
morning.

These warnings include hail, heavy rain and high winds for some
regions.
Accuweather reported the highest risks associated with this storm are the strong wind gusts.

Several areas of the country are still without power. Currently 1,000 utility employees are out working to restore electricity.
"The goal is to do everything possible to restore the maximum number of
customers with power by tomorrow night," an ERDF spokesman told AFP. - Digital Journal.

WATCH:
Storm chaos in France, as other European countries face record
temperatures.

Port Macquarie resident Jeff Clare phoned the Port News to
report what he described as a 'ball of flames' in the night sky sometime
between 7pm and 8pm which moved slowly north before arching in shape
and disappearing.

Jeff's story prompted some lively discussion on Facebook, with several
residents also reporting having seen the bright, firey light.

However, according to Mid North Coast Astronomy Group founder and space
expert David Reneke, anyone who managed to catch a glimpse of the
fireball was extremely lucky.

"We have just gone through an intense period of meteor shower activity," Mr Reneke explained.

"We have about eight to 10 of these meteor showers every year, but the
one that has just passed, and another coming up this month, are two of
the best."

The Delta Aquarids meteor shower passed over the southern hemisphere on
July 28 and 29 and Mr Reneke believes the fireball over Port Macquarie
is a remnant of that activity. The next meteor shower, the Perseids, has
the space community excited with an estimated 50 to 80 meteor sightings
expected every hour during the early hours of the morning between
August 10 and 12.

"Meteor showers are the left over tails of comets which have passed by Earth.

"These comets spin around the sun and as they do, they shed dust, rocks,
dirt and ice which leaves behind an invisible smoke ring around the
sun," Mr Reneke said.

"On some occasions, Earth intercepts this material and that's when we see greater meteor activity."

Mr Reneke said meteor fireballs are not common, but can be spectacular if spotted in the night sky.

He describes them as slow moving, projecting bright colours and on some occasions, can make a sound.

"You've just got to be in the right place at the right time to see one of these," he added. "They can be quite startling."

The Mid North Coast Astronomy Group will be hosting a free viewing night
on August 10 between 5.30pm and 8.30pm at North Brother Mountain for
interested stargazers. Anyone wanting to attend can contact David on
0400 636 363. - Port Macquarie News.

August 04, 2013 - INDIA & PAKISTAN - The following constitutes two reports of deadly deluge of rain related incidents in India and Pakistan.

Five-Inch Rainfall In Just Two Hours In India.

In a matter of just two hours, Ahmedabad found itself inundated after
recording 5 inches of rainfall on Friday. The clouds began gathering
early in the afternoon but it was around 2 pm when it started raining.

Earlier, the city had recorded heavy rains in the early morning too. And
with the Met department predicting intermittent but heavy rainfall for
Ahmedabad in the next 24 hours, this will be the second consecutive
rainy weekend for the city.

It was the central zone that received highest rainfall at 30 mm followed
by the east and west zone that recorded 27 and 23 mm respectively.
Interestingly, the west and central zone received one inch of rainfall
in a period of just 30 minutes leaving several roads water-logged.

Due to heavy rains, the Akhbarnagar and Mithakali underpass were closed
down. The latter was opened after an hour but the Akhbarnagar underpass
continued to be out of bounds for traffic.

Amdavadis who have got used to the intermittent rains meanwhile welcomed
it despite the traffic chaos and water-logging. Ashutosh Mishra, a
chartered accountant, had to cancel his client meeting due to the
showers.

"It was a sunny day today so I was out meeting a
client at an open cafe when it started raining. I called off the meeting
despite being in the middle of it and enjoyed rains from inside my
office with a mug of coffee," said Mishra.

Nirav Bajoria, a finance manager, decided to relive his childhood days
by getting drenched. "I could have escaped the rain as it was my weekly
off. Instead, I went on my terrace and got drenched before proceeding
for a hot cup of coffee and bhutta (corn crop)," said Bajoria.

Thanks to the heavy rain the water-level in the Vasna Barrage has gone
up to 129.5 ft. Eight doors of the barrage have been opened by 3 ft
while several villages located downstream have already been issued an
alert.

According to the GSDMA, the city has so far received 743mm of its
average 769 mm of rainfall. This means the city has received 96.56 per
cent of its average rainfall so far.
- DNA India.

Torrential Rainfall Wrecks Havoc In Pakistan, Killing 25.

Heavy rains and flashfloods played havoc across the country rendering
widespread damages affecting normal life in Karachi, Balochistan, DG
Khan and several parts of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa with more areas coming
under water and water reaching at dangerous level in rivers and nullahs.
According to reports atleast 25 more people were killed in roof
collapse, electrocution and drowning incidents bringing the total to
more than 100 in the last three days of heavy rains.

Heavy rains resulting in flooding nullahs washed away dozens of
residential houses while partially damaging hundreds other in different
areas of KP, Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh. The gushing water also
destroyed crops cultivated on thousands of acres of cultivated land.
Maize and rice crops were adversely destroyed in Pasrur, Rajanpur,
Sanghar, and other areas. Life in Karachi, the teeming metropolis of
over 16 million, came to a grinding halt as it received heavy downpour
of the current monsoon on Sunday. One of the city's main avenues,
Shahrah-e Faisal, submerged in rainwater while floodwater entered the
airport from Bhataiabad.

At least 20 people died in rain-related incidents as provincial
authorities called in army troops to help drain out rainwater from
different neighbourhoods. Most of the fatalities were caused by
electrocution and drowning. Another person was electrocuted and three
died due to a roof collapse.

The rain caused dozens of feeders of the Karachi
Electric Supply Company (KESC) to trip, which resulted in power outages
in almost half of the city.

Meanwhile 100 out of 225 feeders have been restored so far. The areas
that continue to face blackout includes North Karachi, North Nazimabad,
Abul Hassan Isphani road, Gulistan-e-Johar, Gulshan Iqbal, Surjani Town,
Baldia, Nusrat Bhutto colony, Lyari and Landhi.

As most drains were clogged, rainwater and sewage flooded the
busiest arteries and thoroughfares of the city, causing gridlocks at
different places. Several cars and mini-buses also broke down in the
middle of the roads adding to the traffic mess.

Although the posh and residential neighbourhoods were no exception, the
worst-hit were the slums and villages on the edge of the city. Pakistan
Navy personnel were called in to take part in rescue operation after
rain water entered houses in different parts of the city, leaving a
large number of people stranded.

According to reports, people in Saadi Town, Amoroha Society, Safoora
Goth, Gulshan-e-Mamar, Bhittayi Abad, Gulistan-e-Jauher and those
leaving near Lyari and Malir rivers were stranded as rain water from
Saturday s heavy downpour entered their houses.

People in various affected localities moved to safer places. A vast area
of Balochistan came under flood water after heavy rain in various
districts of Balochistan. In Sibi, a high level flood is passing through
Narhi river. An emergency cell has been established at the office of
Commissioner Sibi. Low lying areas came under flood water in Jhal Magsi.

Balochistan government has dispatched rescue teams to the area. The Met
Office said the current monsoon system in moving toward Balochistan from
Sindh and the torrential rains are now expected in Gwadar, Jiwani,
Turbat and adjoining areas.

Torrential rains lashed the Punjab provincial capital city and its
adjoining areas overnight turning the weather pleasant, but several
low-lying localities in the city were flooded due to heavy rain and
roads were submerged under rainwater causing much inconvenience to the
citizens.

Most of the adjoining areas of the city were severely hit as
standing water on the roads and streets entered into the houses, while
markets were inundated without any immediate help and rescue from the
city administration.

Met department forecast that this monsoon spell to continue for 3/ 4
days more, when the city would be receiving intermittent rains In Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa rain has played havoc in Peshawar, Chitral, Charsaddah and
Nowshera along with others area. Many areas remained cut-off after road
links and suspension bridges were washed away in the province.

Following an unprecedented rainfall and floods, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
government has got active in facilitating the victims. Provincial
Disaster Management Authority of KPK has dispatched relief goods for the
floods-hit people in Chitral. Commissioner Peshawar Sahabzada Anis is
supervising the rescue operation along with other high ups.

The package for the victims include 200 blankets, 150 mats, 200 tents and 50 Jerricans for drinking water.

The torrential rains coupled with heavy floods have affected hundreds of families who have been forced to shift to safer places.
- The Nation.

Pakistan And Afghanistan Monsoon Floods Kill Dozens.

Eastern Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan have been hit by torrential rain, causing floods which have killed at least 80 people. Officials said 34 died in the Sarobi district alone, around 65 km (40 miles) east of the Afghan capital Kabul. Pakistan's biggest city Karachi was also badly affected, with at least 16 killed after days of flooding. The region has suffered devastating floods during the monsoon period for the past three years. Afghan officials said that emergency teams and supplies were being dispatched to affected areas.

Hundreds have been displaced in eastern areas of Afghanistan and hundreds of hectares of farmland destroyed, Ghulam Farooq, the head of emergency operations for Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority, told AFP news agency. The floods have caused extensive damage to property in both countries. The Pakistani army was called in to help the clean-up in Karachi, where local media reports say sewage and rainwater have blocked some of the main roads.

WATCH: Pakistan And Afghanistan Monsoon Floods Kill Dozens.

The fatalities in the city have been mostly due to electrocution or collapsing roofs and walls. The floods are also reported to have left many areas of the city without power. In Pakistan's north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, many houses were swept away by the torrent, officials said. Pakistani disaster response officials have warned that more rain may be on the way over the coming days. In 2010, Pakistan was hit by the worst monsoon floods in 80 years. Almost 1,800 people were killed and 21 million people affected. Flooding in each of the following two years also left hundreds dead. - BBC.

August 04, 2013 - UNITED STATES - The state Department of Fish and Wildlife on Friday that said it is investigating why hundreds of smallmouth bass have been found floating belly up in a stretch of the Lower Owens River just south of the eastern Sierra community of Lone Pine.

“We are working with our own biologists and multiple agencies to determnine what happened and why,” Fish and Wildlife Lt. William Bailey said. “We’re also looking at permits and agreements governing uses of that river.”

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which manages the Lower Owens River, believes the fish suffocated from a lack of dissolved oxygen caused by mud and debris flows triggered by unusually heavy rains and flash-flooding in the Owens Valley region during the week of July 22.

However, local environmentalists and fishing enthusiasts point out that the inclement weather coincided with scheduled maintenance and repair work that required draining a five-mile-long section of the nearby Los Angeles Aqueduct.

They suggest that combination of bad weather and water surges from the aqueduct may have triggered turbidity that clogged the southern end of the 62-mile-long river with sediment.

“It was caused by a combination of factors having to do with the weather and the DWP spilling contents of the aqueduct into the Lower Owens River,” said Bob Harrington, director of the Inyo County Water Department. “We’re still trying to determine the magnitude of the
problem.”

Francis Pedneau, a resident of Lone Pine and lifelong bass fisherman, recently counted hundreds of dead bass in the area, about 190 miles north of Los Angeles. Many of the bass were more than 12 inches in length.

A year ago, he said he caught nearly 100 bass there within two hours.

“For the DWP to blame it all on storms is business as usual,” Pedneau said. “This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a fish kill like this. It takes about five to six years for the fishery to rebound, and a lot longer than that for fishing to reach the quality it was prior to the incident.”

The Lower Owens River was revived in one of the largest river restorations ever attempted in the West -- intended to support wildlife and outdoor activities including fishing.

Then-L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa turned a knob in 2006 that opened a diversion dam gate, putting water back into the river essentially left dry after its flows of Sierra snow melt were diverted to the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913. - LA Times.

August 04, 2013 - SPACE - Millions of years ago the the main belt of asteroids between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter was populated by thousands of active comets. This population aged and the activity subsided. What we see today is the residual activity of that past. Twelve of those rocks are true comets that were rejuvenated after their minimum distance from the Sun was reduced a little. The little extra energy they received from the Sun was then sufficient to revive them from the graveyard. "These objects are the 'Lazarus comets', returning to life after being dormant for thousands or even millions of years," says astronomer Prof. Ignacio Ferrin. "Potentially any one of the many thousands of their quiet neighbors could do the same thing."

"We found a graveyard of comets," said Ferrín. "Imagine all these asteroids going around the Sun for aeons, with no hint of activity. We have found that some of these are not dead rocks after all, but are dormant comets that may yet come back to life if the energy that they receive from the Sun increases by a few per cent."

Comets are amongst the smallest objects in the Solar System, typically a few km across and composed of a mixture of rock and ices. If they come close to the Sun, then some of the ices turn to gas, before being swept back by the light of the Sun and the solar wind to form a characteristic tail of gas and dust.

Most observed comets have highly elliptical orbits, meaning that they only rarely approach the Sun. Some of these so-called long period comets take thousands of years to complete each orbit around our nearest star. There is also a population of about 500 short period comets, created when long period comets pass near Jupiter and are deflected in orbits that last anything between 3 and 200 years. Although uncommon events, comets also collide with Earth from time to time and may have helped bring water to our planet.

The new work looked at a third and distinct region of the Solar System, the main belt of asteroids between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter shown below. This volume of space contains more than 1 million objects ranging in size from 1 m to 800 km. The traditional explanation for asteroids is that they are the building blocks of a planet that never formed, as the movement of the pieces was disrupted by the strong gravitational field of Jupiter.

In the last decade 12 active comets have been discovered in the asteroid main belt region. This was something of a surprise and the Medellin team set out to investigate their origin. The team, made up of Prof. Ferrin and his colleagues Profs. Jorge Zuluaga and Pablo Cuartas, now think they have an explanation.

Surprisingly, this "rebirth" can occur fairly easily, as the orbits of many objects in the asteroid belt are nudged by the gravity of Jupiter. The shape of their orbits can then change, leading to a decrease in the minimum distance between the object and the Sun (perihelion) and a slight increase in average temperature. - Daily Galaxy.